Global Knowledge Sharing in Rice Research: the International Rice Research Institute's Rice Database

摘要

Rice sustains the life of nearly half of the world's population. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established in the early 1960s with a mission to improve the lives "of present and future generations of rice fanners and consumers,particularly those with low income." To support this mandate, the Library and Documentation Service (LDS) started compiling a rice bibliography, to enable worldwide access to the world's technical rice literature. In 1963. the initial volume of the International Bibliography of Rice Research came out. It includes the world's technical rice publications, written in various languages, for the years 1951-1960. Annual supplements were issued from 1961 up to 1992. To expedite current awareness, in 1989, theRice Literature Update, a triennial alphabetical list started publication. In 1996. the IRRI Library utilised digital technology to transform the printed bibliography to an online database available through its web site (http://ricelib.cgiar.org/), 24 hours a day. In addition to the print and online versions, the bibliography is also available in CD-ROM, for the benefit of researchers with no Internet access. This paper traces the development of the rice bibliography : its transition into an active database and how it enables knowledge sharing through current awareness, literature searches, and document delivery services to worldwide clients.